The Buffalo Bills will have major decisions to make during training camp this summer, and some of those could result in a few starting players being benched.
Since the Bills have moved on from head coach Sean McDermott and promoted Joe Brady to head coach, some players who have started for the Bills for years, or possibly just a season, could be in jeopardy of losing their jobs.
Bills On SI writer Randy Gurzi named three returning players who could lose their starting jobs in the preseason and named cornerback Maxwell Hairston as one of the options.
Why Hairston Might Lose His Starting Role
“Maxwell Hairston was the Bills’ top pick in 2025, and he joined the team with plenty of excitement due to his 4.28 time in the 40-yard dash as well as his nose for the football. Unfortunately, injuries slowed him down with Hairston missing the first seven weeks of the season,” Gurzi wrote on Monday. “He played in 11 games and while he started just three times during his rookie campaign, he had 18 tackles with five pass breakups and intercepted two passes. Unfortunately, he ended the season injured as well, suffering an injury during the Week 18 finale against the New York Jets.”
Gurzi named one reason Hairston could lose his starting job: the Bills selecting Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Entering his second year in the NFL, Hairston was slated as a starter opposite Christian Benford,” Gurzi added. “That might not be the case, however, after Buffalo added Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun in the second round of the NFL Draft. Igbinosun turned heads during rookie minicamp and OTAs, putting himself in contention for the CB2 spot. Hairston will be given every opportunity to keep his starting spot, but due to his injury concerns coupled with Igbinosun’s fit, there’s a real chance that he finds himself behind the rookie by the time Week 1 rolls around.”
If Hairston is not one of the Bills’ starting cornerbacks when the season begins, it will feel like a significant setback for the team. It’s never a good sign to see a first-round pick not starting in his second year, and this wouldn’t be the first time Bills general manager Brandon Beane has missed on a first-round cornerback.
Bills Missed on Kaiir Elam
The Bills drafted Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but his time in Buffalo wasn’t easy. Elam spent three seasons with the Bills, starting in 19 games. Buffalo traded him to the Dallas Cowboys last offseason, then he moved to the Tennessee Titans, and he is now with the Kansas City Chiefs, beginning his fifth NFL season.
It’s never a good sign when a young player is on his fourth team in five years, and hopefully Hairston doesn’t follow the same path as Elam. The Bills’ selection of Elam may have hindered the team’s chances of reaching the Super Bowl in recent years. If the Bills had drafted a player who could have contributed more effectively in that position, perhaps Buffalo would have secured a few more playoff victories.
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